Top 10: Guy Hobbies

Number 7

Homebrewing

Whether you think you can do better than the tired old pints they pull at your local pub or you simply prefer the DIY method, homebrewing requires patience, science and skillful know-how. From boiling and fermenting to bottling and drinking, the process can take as long as six weeks to complete. Still, while you may drink better beers in your life, you’ll never have a more satisfying cold one than the beer you brewed yourself.

Getting started: Buy an online kit; they feature all the hardware and instructions you’ll need. You typically need to buy an ingredient kit apart from the hardware kit, and you can choose from bocks to ambers to pale ales and beyond.

Number 6

Collecting

From well-known collector’s items like autographs, sports memorabilia and stamps to the obscure like cigarette packs, phone cards and lottery tickets, you would be hard-pressed to find something that someone, somewhere, doesn’t collect — and why not? Collectors are passionate and goal-oriented; their hobbies and the money spent on them are focused squarely around their interests, sometimes to the point of obsession. People have made millions off of their collector's items.

Getting started: Naturally, you’ll need to ascertain what it is you want to collect and get as informed as you can on the subject.

Equipment costs: Collectibles vary widely, depending on what you’re collecting, but most of the time, you can make a profit off your items if you do your research.

Number 5

Target shooting

What better way to sharpen your hand-eye coordination and relieve stress than by pumping a target full of holes? While the general goal remains the same — hit the bull's-eye with consistency and accuracy — target shooting is a broad term that encompasses both sports and weaponry. You can shoot air guns, rifles, pistols, shotguns, muzzle-loading replicas, single-action guns like an Old West cowboy, and in some U.S. states, you can even fire off a submachine gun.

Getting started: Do some research online or in the Yellow Pages to find a target shooting range near you.

Equipment costs: An average shooting fee is $10 to $15 an hour. Gun rental goes for $5 to $10.

Number 4

Rocketry

Rocketry is the building and shooting of rockets. You can either put the rocket together from a kit (otherwise known as model rocketry) or you can build a rocket from the ground up (otherwise known as high-power rocketry). Model rocketry requires nothing more than a desire to blast rockets into the sky. More thrilling than relaxing in front of the TV, putting a rocket together and launching it into the sky is a brilliant diversion from the ordinary.

High-power rocketry journalist Tom Clynes wrote, “It has everything a guy could want in a hobby: smoke, fire and the occasional out-of-control rocket spiraling toward a panicking crowd.” As far as hobbies go, this one’s serious: In addition to obtaining the required FAA waiver, various restrictions exist regarding who can buy what. This comes as no surprise when you consider the fact that rockets use the same propellants found in a space shuttle’s solid rocket boosters.

Getting started: The National Rocketry Association’s chartered sections host launches, competitions and conventions. For high-power rocketry, attend a meeting or a launch at your local Tripoli Rocketry Association, found in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Israel, and Australia.

Equipment costs: Most hobby shops have everything you need to get started for model rocketry. Low- and mid-power starter kits begin at around $20 to $30, and you can buy as many as 24 single-use engines and igniters for about $40 a piece.

Learn the benefits of hobbies like playing chess or becoming a mentor...